October 24
Scripture focus: By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, "He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends." Their grumbling triggered this story.
"Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found my lost sheep!' Count on it—there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.”
"Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she'll call her friends and neighbors: 'Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!' Count on it—that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God." Luke 15:1-10 The Message
I personally prefer to feel well, healthy, whole and productive. I don’t like losing things, especially myself! Nor do I want to be one of “those guys,” who are always criticizing and judging others, feeling superior to and removed from men and women who like to hang around Jesus, listening intently but who also are of doubtful reputation.
For centuries, people have struggled to explain why people who hang around Jesus, even listen intently to him, sometimes end up doing things that tarnish their reputation. Take for example the Pharisees and religious scholars. They spent their lives studying the ways of God. Jesus told his followers that if they knew the Father, they’d recognize the Son. He preached a message that encouraged men of faith to love the way God loved, and care about what God cares about. But in today’s story, those same God-studiers grumbled and judged.
We may never understand why people who love God sincerely still mess up. Whether it’s people of ill-repute, religious leaders, religious scholars…or even ourselves. But what we can know, and draw great comfort from is this: “The God of whom Jesus spoke searches the horizon looking for signs of the return of broken, damaged, missing-the-mark people like us. God is delighted when we become visible, when we can be seen.” Soul Repair, p.47
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